Jeb Bush not ready to declare his political intentions – or his son’s

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush faced questions about his political aspirations and those of his son, George P., on a Wednesday visit to the Texas Capitol.

Asked if he’s given any thought to a White House run, Bush didn’t rule out the idea.

“I haven’t, and I’m forcing myself not to. I’m really trying hard not to go through that decision because it’s way too early,” he said.

Bush gave a pitch for his forthcoming book, “Immigration Wars” and noted his passion for education reform.

He said he has the opportunity to talk about important policy issues and expects to stay involved in that “no matter what future decisions are.”

As for George P. Bush, who may be eyeing a run for land commissioner or perhaps another office, Bush said declined to announce for him.

“I don’t know what he’s running for. I’ll let him make that announcement,” he said, “but I’m very proud of him. He’s worked hard to support a lot of really worthy causes and support candidates. I think he’s earned a chance to aspire to serve. If he gets a chance to do it I know he’ll be a great public servant.”

Bush talked to reporters, accompanied by Senate Education Committee Chairman Dan Patrick, R-Houston, after speaking to Patrick’s committee about revamping the school system. Bush told senators that there is enough money in the system but priorities must be set.

“You fund the reforms and everything else second,” said Bush. Texas’ school funding system was recently ruled unconstitutional by a state judge on adequacy and equity grounds.

Bush touts school choice, accountability for schools, a bar against social promotion and a focus on priorities. He also promotes paying teachers more if they serve in certain areas, teach particular subjects or have students who have shown higher gains, saying it’s important to reward excellence.

He took questions from senators, including some from Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, about low graduation rates in Florida among African-American males and students with disabilities. Bush said that graduation rates have improved in Florida since reforms were implemented.

At the news conference, Bush called school choice “the catalytic converter, if you will, of the kind of learning gains that we have experienced”

The Texas State Teachers Association blasted Bush’s ideas. It said the Foundation for Excellence In Education that he founded, along with an affiliated group called Chiefs for Change, “are conduits for letting their corporate donors connect with and privately influence state policymakers on expanded testing, expanded online instruction, private school vouchers and other privatization raids on public tax dollars.”

“Privatization puts the interests of corporations above those of shcool children, their parents and other Texas taxpayers,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker in a statement, urging the Legislature to restore funding cut from education “and quit trying to experiment with unproven privatization schemes.”

Bush called the criticism “politics.”

“They don’t want any change because … their advocacy is on behalf of the economic interests of their members. That’s what they do,” he said. “So I’m not surprised they would be opposed to transformational ideas that dislodge the power of unions in that process.”

Asked if he could comment on Medicaid expansion– an idea that Texas Gov. Rick Perry stands against even while other Republican governors including Florida Gov. Rick Scott have embraced the idea with its additional federal dollars — Bush said, “No, just because I don’t want to get in trouble back home.”